


I Am the Happiest Creature in the World

by aitomation



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Autistic Hermann Gottlieb, Boats, Confessions, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Engagement, Established Relationship, Hermann Gottlieb Has MS, Knuckle kisses, Living Together, Lots of kissing, M/M, Newton Geiszler Has ADHD, Pet Names, Picnics, Picnics on Boats, Post-Canon, References to The Stockholm Conference, Surprise Date, Trans Hermann Gottlieb, Trans Male Character, Trans Newton Geiszler, little bit of necking at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-16 00:45:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18084083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aitomation/pseuds/aitomation
Summary: Newt plans a surprise date for Hermann-a picnic lunch on the water, stargazing after watching the sunset. Could it get anymore romantic?





	I Am the Happiest Creature in the World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skeleton_twins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skeleton_twins/gifts).



> happy birthday eri!!!!!! i hope u enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing it :-))

Newt hated running. He liked to avoid it when he could. It made him all sweaty, and his face puffed up, and his thighs rubbed together and chafed, and it was overall just not a fun or pleasant experience for him. The run from the Bone Slums to the helicopter, and then from the helicopter to LOCCENT, had been enough for a lifetime, thank you very much. He wasn’t too fond of jogging either. The first week after he and Hermann had moved into their cottage, he had tried jogging in the mornings. Then in the evenings. Then he decided he would much rather get his exercise in other, way more fun ways-which usually involved his very enthusiastic boyfriend.  

He couldn’t avoid it today though. The bus had been over twenty minutes late, and there was an accident in one of the intersections on the way out of the city, so he was running a bit late. He slowed to a jog as he started up their long dirt driveway and checked his watch. He still had time, especially if Hermann hit the same traffic he did, which he probably would.

Newt breathed a sigh of relief when he pushed open their front door. Hermann’s grumpy hairless cat yowled at him as he passed by to drop his bags on the coffee table.

“Hello to you too, Gertrude,” he said as he crossed in front of her to get to the kitchen and she swiped at his pants.

Newt quickly busied himself with making those different kinds of tiny sandwiches that Hermann liked so much the last time they had a mini lunch date. Halfway through, he darted up to the second floor to grab their picnic basket. After he placed it on the kitchen table, he started rummaging through the cabinets for the cute Tupperware he impulse bought the last time he went back to Boston-the set shaped like hearts in different colors. He finished a few more sandwiches before he dug the desserts out of the fridge and very carefully organized them in the Tupperware.

He jumped when his phone started ringing from its place on the coffee table, breaking the gentle quiet of the house. Darting into the living room, he scooped the phone up, narrowly avoiding another swipe from Gertrude. Newt stuck his tongue out at her as he answered the call.

“Yellow?”

“Newton? It’s Hermann.” Newt snorted.

“I know, dude. What’s up?” He wandered back into the kitchen to finish packing things up. While he worked he kept the phone squished between his cheek and his shoulder.

“I just wanted to let you know I’m almost home. I sent you a text message but you didn’t answer, and you were so insistent this morning that I tell you before I arrived-” Newt hummed to cut him off.

“Got it. Almost home. Thanks, babe.” There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.

“Are you alright?” Hermann asked hesitantly. Newt immediately snapped to attention.

“Yeah! Totally, just a little distracted, is all,” he said quickly. “I’m excited to see you though.”  

“You see me every day Newton. You saw me this morning.” Newt could hear Hermann smiling through the phone. He knew Hermann was blushing a little too, that light pink that made his eyes look bigger. Newt grinned.

“Doesn’t mean I’m any less excited when I get to see you at the end of the day.”

“Hush,” Hermann admonished half-heartedly. “I’m hanging up now, I’m turning up the drive.”

“See you in a minute!” Newt chirped, shoving his phone back in his pocket. He mentally ran through his list to make sure he had everything, then darted to the front closet to throw on his big blue jacket (Hermann’s favorite). He skidded back into the kitchen to grab the wine and glasses and place them gently in the basket, just as Hermann pushed the door open.

“Newton?” he called into the house. “Was that you I saw dashing about?”

“Hermann!” Newt called. “Don’t sit down!”

“Alright,” Hermann responded, sounding amused. “May I put my things down?” Newt ran back into the living room and slid Hermann’s bag from his shoulder.

“I got it,” he said with a cheeky smile. He put Hermann’s bag next to his own on the coffee table, then scampered back to the kitchen to grab the basket. Hermann’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw it.

“What’s all this Newton?”

“Nothing. Just a little surprise date. Can’t a guy pamper his boyfriend for no reason sometimes?” Newt led Hermann right back out the door, locking it behind them. He linked his arm with Hermann’s as they walked across their front yard and down the little hill their house sat on.

“There isn’t an occasion I’ve forgotten?” Hermann asked as they crossed onto the sand of the beach, his voice playful.

“No,” Newt laughed. “You’ve just been looking out the windows all sad and shit, so I figured you could use a little pick me up.” He continued to lead Hermann across the slight dunes, making sure to keep himself-and Hermann-steady.

“Have I?” Hermann hummed. “I hadn’t realized.” Newt waited a beat before he leaned over to peck Hermann on the cheek.

“You’re cute when you’re thinking,” he said before kissing Hermann’s cheek again. He felt Hermann’s cheek warm up under his lips, and made a pleased noise when Hermann turned his head to place a chaste kiss on Newt’s lips.

“Stop being so charming,” Hermann said, voice laced with faux irritation. Newt threw his head back and laughed as they approached the small dock that stuck out into the sea. Hermann made a noise in the back of his throat as Newt led them out onto the wood.

“Don’t worry,” Newt said quickly. “We’re not going out on the water.” He crouched about halfway down the dock and tugged at some ropes to make a small boat bob out from under it. Hermann watched as Newt refastened the ropes to keep the boat tied to the dock. It swayed gently on the remnants of the waves that licked the shore just behind them. “I just figured you’d like the scenery. The ambiance.” Newt looked over at Hermann, suddenly nervous. “What do you think? You up for it?” Hermann blinked.

“I believe so,” he said simply. Newt breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay. Cool. Good.” Newt lowered himself slowly into the boat. He set the picnic basket on the dock and held out a hand to Hermann. Hermann let Newt help him into the little dinghy, carefully balancing his weight between Newt and his cane. He flopped a little gracelessly onto the bench across from Newt with a grunt. He blinked again when Newt held a translucent red, heart-shaped container out in front of him.

“Are these the same as last time?” he asked as he took a little sandwich between two fingers and raised it to his lips.

“Hell yeah, baby. I remember things sometimes,” Newt said, shimmying his shoulders. The boat swayed slightly and Hermann rolled his eyes. Newt pulled out the wine glasses and started very carefully handling the bottle. He could feel Hermann watching him as he slowly unscrewed the top and poured them each a drink. “You didn’t think I’d bring one with a cork did you?” he teased. Hermann took the proffered glass and gave Newt a look.

“Would you like me to answer that honestly?” he asked, smirking around the lip of his glass as he took a sip. Newt gasped in mock offense.

“Hermann!” he gasped, scandalized. “You speak to me that way, when I’ve gone to all the trouble of planning this lovely date?” He took on a horrible British accent as he spoke, gesturing wildly. Hermann giggled around another tiny sandwich.

“You sound Australian,” he chuckled.

“That means I’m getting better,” Newt replied, grinning. He grabbed another container and popped the lid off. He held it out to Hermann. “Tart?”

“What did you call me?” Hermann joked, struggling to keep the smile off his face. Newt snorted.

“Oh my God.”

They passed quite a lot of time eating and drinking together, bobbing in the little boat. They talked about their days, complained about their undergraduate students and their paperwork. Newt told an animated story about his new TA accidentally pouring the wrong activation agent into a mixture in his morning class and having to move all his later classes to another classroom because of the ensuing mess. Hermann kept pressing feather light kisses against Newt’s knuckles, just to see him blush and stumble over his words. Newt turned away to look out over the ocean after Hermann kissed his pinky ring.     

“Hermann, look,” he said. “The sun is setting.” Hermann turned to look where Newt was pointing and gasped a little at what he saw. The sun was indeed setting, bright oranges and reds sinking into the shimmering sea along the horizon. The sky was every color, from a deep purple and blue, to a bright pink, down to the fierce red that kissed the water.

“It’s beautiful Newton,” he said absently, like he didn’t even realize he had spoken. Newt squeezed his hand.

“I’m really liking the view too.”

They watched the sun dip below the horizon, and then turned their gazes toward the sky to watch the stars begin to peek out. One of the reasons they chose their cottage was its distance from the city-convenient for travel, but far enough that the stars would always be visible. Hermann often sat in the large window in their bedroom and sketched the night sky, quietly naming the constellations while Newt slept. A shiver ran through Hermann as a light breeze blew past them and Newt made a noise.

“I brought a jacket,” he said, fumbling to pull the coat off and shove it at Hermann. “I figured you’d get cold.” Hermann smiled.

“Thank you darling.” He slipped into the jacket, pulling the sleeves over his hands as he turned back to the sky. Newt chewed on his lower lip.

“Tell me about the stars, Hermann.” Hermann looked at him, startled. Newt looked back, unblinking.

“What do you want to know?” Newt shook his head.

“Not like that. Here,” he wriggled around until he could lay his head on Hermann’s lap. “Tell me what you see.” Hermann started petting Newt’s hair with one hand, pointing out stars with the other. He quietly told Newt about the constellations, what stars made them up, what the stars were made of. Newt could easily drift off listening to Hermann’s quiet voice, but he made himself stay focused, listening to what Hermann said and how he said it. He was so passionate about space; it was incredibly endearing.

Newt sat up after awhile, when he felt Hermann tense in that way that meant his hip was starting to ache from being in the same position for too long. He smiled at Hermann and leaned over the dock to clean up the Tupperware he’d left out. When he finished repacking everything in the basket, he glanced over to see Hermann looking at him, a soft look on his face.

“Newton?” Hermann asked quietly.

“Yeah?” Newt responded, just as quiet. He shifted to face Hermann again, leaning forward slightly. He watched as Hermann’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. He saw Hermann’s hands move in his peripheral vision. And blinked when he looked down to see Hermann holding a tiny, velvet box.

“Will you marry me, my love?” Newt stared at the little box and blinked. And blinked again. And again. He had to remind himself to breathe. Hermann wanted to _marry_ him. Hermann wanted to marry _him_.

“Newton?” Hermann prompted after a long silence.

“Did you just have that on you?” Newt asked, breathless. Hermann colored.

“I will admit I’ve had it for… awhile.” Newt leaned across the short distance between them to kiss Hermann, the force of it pushing Hermann back until he had to lean on his hand to keep from falling over.

“How long is awhile?” Newt crowded himself into Hermann’s space, making the boat rock dangerously. He started kissing down Hermann’s neck, pulling at the buttons at Hermann’s collar. Hermann’s hands fluttered in the air on either side of him.

“I don’t remember.” Newt pulled back suddenly. Hermann had to stop himself from making a noise at the sudden loss of contact.

“You know I don’t believe that.”

“Is this a ‘yes’ Newton?” Newt leaned forward and kissed Hermann again as he swiped the box from Hermann’s lap.

“Yes. Of course it’s a yes, Hermann. I’ve been dreaming about marrying you for an embarrassingly long time.” He flipped the box open and inhaled sharply at the contents. Knowing there was a ring in the box and actually seeing the ring were two entirely different sensations. Hermann delicately removed the ring-a wide band of pewter with a princess cut peridot nestled in it-and slipped it onto Newt’s finger.   

“I bought it while we were in Paris,” he whispered into Newt’s neck. “I suppose the city got the better of me.”

“That was almost three years ago,” Newt said in disbelief.  

“Two years, eight months, seventeen days.”

“And you said you didn’t remember,” Newt said with a quiet chuckle.

“It isn’t the first ring I bought,” Hermann blurted. He flushed a bright red and his shoulders inched up towards his ears. Newt looked up from the ring slowly.

“When did you buy the first one?” Newt asked quietly. He brushed his pinkie with Hermann’s on the bench of the boat.

“You’re going to make fun of me,” Hermann mumbled.

“Hermann. Dude. My wonderful fiancé who I love very much.” Hermann squawked but quickly closed his mouth when Newt held up a hand. “I won’t make fun of you. Scout’s honor or whatever.”

“You were never a scout,” Hermann said under his breath. Newt waited patiently while Hermann took a deep breath. He watched Hermann’s jaw work as he mentally went through his ‘calm down’ ritual. When Hermann opened his eyes, Newt mimed zipping his lips, and grinned when it made Hermann’s lips quirk up a little. “I bought the first in 2017. After the conference.” Newt blanched.

“ _After_ the conference? The Stockholm conference? _The_ conference?” Hermann wrinkled his mouth.

“Yes,” he said quietly. Newt opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of what to say. Hermann continued, “Karla told me once, when we were children, that if someone could hurt you so profoundly that it felt like your whole world was ending, that they were the most important person in your life. And until I met you, I didn’t understand what she meant.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “I thought she was exaggerating.” Newt let out a long breath. He looked at Hermann, who was looking up at the stars. He looked at the way the moonlight danced across Hermann’s face, the way it glinted off his eyelashes and deepened the shadows in his face.

“I already wrote my vows,” Newt admitted.

“Did you?” Hermann asked, still looking at the sky.

“In 2016.” Hermann turned to look at Newt then. “I’ve edited them a few times since, but I still have the original.” Hermann looked down, his face breaking into a smile.  

“I love you,” he said emphatically. “I’m glad you’re in my life Newton.” Newt’s lower lip wobbled.

“I love you too, but we gotta stop talking about sappy shit now, because I’m gonna cry.” Hermann snorted and doubled over, laughing. Newt pulled himself together, watching Hermann’s face light up with mirth, lit by the pale moon. He started laughing too, watching Hermann’s eyes crinkle as he tried to stifle his giggles with a hand. When they finally calmed down, Hermann leaned against Newt, looking up at the stars again. Newt laced their fingers together, stroking a thumb over Hermann’s knuckles.

He was looking forward to getting to spend the rest of his life like this.    

**Author's Note:**

> title is from pride n prejudice lmao   
> also i think it was maria who said that hermann always starts phone calls with Hello It's Me Dr Hermann Gottlieb, Your Lab Partner n i cant stop thinking abt it dsjhsdds so i Did sneak that in there a little bit


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